The Purple Paladin
by TurtleGirl
Summary: In the literal wreckage of a tough mission, the paladins find a tiny glimmer of hope. It comes as no surprise that Lance and Hunk are great with kids, but maybe Keith wants to help too. After all, it's not like he can relate to being orphaned and left behind. Right?
1. Chapter 1

"I'm not getting any response from the ground," Pidge reported. "Hopefully it's just interference from the wind."

"Okay, Team. Let's keep our comms open at all times," Shiro told them. "We have no idea how bad it is down there or how many people need help."

Just minutes ago, the Castle of Lions had picked up a distress beacon and a desperate message. The planet Araxius was experiencing hurricane force winds on a global scale, decimating the planet and its people. Voltron was dispatched immediately, but the five paladins were having difficulty finding a safe place to land.

"I don't know how much more of this we can take," Hunk said as the yellow Lion rattled around him. On top of the lack of visibility, something about this storm was keeping them from communicating with the Castle.

"Believe it or not, this is the tail end of the storm," Pidge replied. "My scanners say the winds are dying down. We should be able to see something soon."

"Hang in there, everybody," Shiro encouraged them. "Keep trying to raise the Castle and any survivors."

Visibility was not much improved with the storm's end, but at least the paladins could safely land their Lions. What they found down there was not encouraging. Their landing site had clearly been some kind of city until very recently. It was as if a giant hand had come down and swiped everything away. Nothing but debris and dead people.

Shiro heard Pidge sniffle and saw Hunk crouch to his knees beside the battered form of an elderly woman. Lance was moving like a ghost through what may have once been a house. Seeing the despair on the collective faces of his Team, Shiro knew he needed to get them out of here. This was going to be a long, hard day.

"Guys?" Keith's strained voice suddenly crackled through the comms. "I think you'd better get over here. I found something."

The whole team quickly zeroed in on the red paladin's location and raced over. They found Keith kneeling in the wreckage of what could have been a set of apartments or maybe an office building. It was hard to tell.

Keith's dark eyes were wide, almost frightened and in his arms was some kind of bundle, wrapped in blankets and making soft mewling noises of complaint. Shiro stopped short.

"Keith…is that?" The red paladin awkwardly shifted the squirming thing in his arms and stepped closer, pushing back one end of the blankets. Inside was a tiny Araxi child, completely hairless with bright purple skin. Hunk gasped softly.

"A baby?!"

"I found her just lying in the debris under a crossbeam. It must have shielded her, otherwise I don't know how she would still be alive. I don't think she's even hurt."

"'She'?" Pidge questioned, staring with wide amber eyes at the small creature. The red paladin shrugged.

"I don't know. I _think_ it's a she. But she was all by herself, so either her family was killed," Keith's expression hardened. "Or they left her behind." As if she understood Keith's words, the baby's face screwed up in displeasure and she let out a piercing wail, causing everyone to wince.

"Here, Keith. Let me," Lance said decisively, holding out his arms.

Keith, feeling bizarrely protective, hesitated. Lance frowned at him. "Dude, it's okay. Between my little cousins and my brothers and sisters, I've had tons of practice." The red paladin snapped himself out of it and handed the child over. Lance cradled the bundle with a practiced hand and bounced her slightly, using a soft voice to soothe her. To everyone's astonishment, the baby calmed, staring up at this strange new being with large, dark blue eyes.

"Wow, you're…really good at that," Keith said.

"Told'ja." Lance looked up at their leader, who was watching the scene in impressed silence. "So now what, Shiro?" The black paladin frowned thoughtfully.

"Well, we don't really have a choice. We'll have to take her back to the Castle. At least until we can find someplace safer." He sighed sadly and looked around. "I don't think there's a lot more we can do here right now."

"But _how_ do we take her up there?" Pidge wanted to know. "It's not like our Lions have car seats installed."

"Not a problem," Lance replied. Cradling the baby with one arm, he unwound the blanket and shaped it into a sort of sling. "Hunk, could you?"

"Got'cha." The yellow paladin took one end of the blanket in each hand and tied them together behind Lance's back, tightly enough that the baby could be swaddled comfortably.

"Thanks, buddy. Now I've still got my hands free." Lance smiled confidently at his teammates. "Don't worry, guys. Me and Blue'll take it nice and slow."

"Works for me," said Shiro, placing an appreciative hand on Lance's shoulder. "Let's head back, everybody." He paused awkwardly. "And maybe let me speak to Allura and Coran first."

"A _child_?" Allura cried, only to be shushed by at least 3 people.

"She's sleeping, Princess," Hunk explained. Allura composed herself.

"I can see that. But what in the name of all that is holy is a _baby_ doing in the Castle?"

"We found her," Pidge said, adjusting her glasses. "Well…Keith found her." At Allura's questioning look, Keith scowled.

"We _saved_ her," he said. "What was I supposed to do? Leave her in the rubble?"

"Keith, of course not! I only meant why is she _here_ instead of taking shelter with her people?" There was an uncomfortable silence as all of the paladins looked at each other.

"Princess, there was no one left," Shiro explained quietly. "At least nobody we could find. All we saw down there were bodies and wreckage." Allura drew in a deep breath and sank into the nearest chair, her color drained.

"Gods help us," she whispered. "Those poor people."

"Now, let's not give up hope just yet," Coran spoke up, placing a comforting hand on his princess's shoulder. "Even if you didn't find anyone on the surface, it is possible that there are survivors. The Araxi people will sometimes retreat to the planet's underground volcanic tunnels in times of crisis. Their bodies are uniquely suited to the extreme conditions."

"If that's true," Pidge said thoughtfully. "It explains why we didn't find more survivors. Our thermal scanners wouldn't have been able to pick them out and our comms were only working short range."

"Then our course of action is clear," Allura decided, rising from her chair. "We'll look after the little one for as long as we safely can, and we'll do our best to reunite her with her people."

"Yes! The rescue mission is back on!" Hunk cheered. He received a " _SHHH!_ " from six different directions.

"Seriously, Lance. You're gonna name her after her _skin color_?"

"What? Violet is a great name! Just as cute as she is."

"She's not _that_ cute," Pidge grumbled.

"Aww!" Hunk cooed mockingly. "Are you jealous that you're not the baby anymore?" He reached down to ruffle Pidge's hair and she all but growled at him as she ducked her head.

"Whatever. Just don't let her drool anywhere near my equipment."

"While we're all here," Shiro cut in. "We need to come up with some kind of routine for…Violet. Lance is doing a great job taking care of her," the blue paladin beamed. "But he can't be on the clock all the time. Who else is gonna be comfortable with baby duties? Hunk?"

"Oh yeah, definitely," Hunk smiled. "Feedings, diaper duty, you name it."

"I knew we could count on you, Hunk. Anyone else? Pidge?" The green paladin typed away at her keyboard without looking up.

"Nope. I'm helping the Alteans try and locate survivors down on the planet." She smirked at Shiro over her glasses. "Are _you_ gonna be on baby duty?" Shiro's eyes widened slightly and he cleared his throat.

"Well, I would but," he flexed his Galra arm and glanced down at it almost subconsciously. "I don't think I'd be very good. She's just so…small."

"Aw, don't sell yourself short, Shiro," Lance said. He held Violet up so that she was face to face with the head of Voltron. "Violet likes you just fine. " The baby stared up at Shiro and blew a raspberry at him, giggling madly at her own joke. "See?" Shiro laughed.

"Yeah, okay. I'll pitch in where I can. We are a team after all."

Nobody asked Keith if he wanted to help.

"I've been experimenting with the food goo," Hunk explained as he puttered through the kitchen that evening. "I'm trying to make it easy for her to eat and still make it taste good. Fortunately, this stuff's mostly liquid anyway."

Hunk leaned over and wiggled his fingers at Violet.

"Hey li'l cutie. Can I see you for a minute?" The baby grinned toothlessly in response, reaching out to Hunk with pudgy arms. Hunk scooped her up and supported her on his lap with one forearm, reaching for the impromptu baby food with his other hand. "I tasted it myself. It's not bad, but the real test will be if Vi likes it." The yellow paladin dipped the end of a clean washcloth into the bowl of goo, measuring a small bite's worth and presenting it to the baby. "What do you think, kiddo?" Violet regarded the food for only a moment before making a decision. She grabbed at Hunk's fingers with both of her little fists and popped the end of the cloth into her mouth, sucking on it with zeal.

"Hunk, you're a genius!" Lance exclaimed. Hunk grinned shyly.

"Yeah well, you're not the only one with tons of little cousins, remember." He scooped up a little more of the food and Violet continued inhaling it. "This'll work for now, but I think I might be able to rig up a kind of baby bottle." Lance grinned at him.

"Man, I really think we can do this."

"What? Keep feeding her food goo? We'll probably have to supplement it with something else before too long."

"No, I mean _this_. Like if we don't find Violet's family, maybe we could still make this work." Hunk said nothing for a long time.

"I hope you're right, man. I hate to think of our little Vi ending up in some kind of weird space orphanage." Lance looked up at him, horrorstruck.

"No way! Shiro wouldn't let that happen. And I know Allura's not crazy about babies but she's not heartless." Hunk looked startled.

"Well no, of course not. At least I hope not." He plowed through before his distraught friend could cut in. "I just don't know what we're gonna do long term, Lance. We're in the middle of a war and Violet's just a little baby."

"We'll figure something out," Lance said firmly. "We have to." Hunk merely nodded and kept feeding the baby her breakfast. There were tears in his eyes.

Keith yawned and popped his back, fresh from training and a hot shower. The Castle was quiet for now, everyone off doing their own thing, he supposed. The red paladin found himself wondering how Lance and their new little teammate were doing.

He didn't have to wonder long as he entered the common room and found the two relaxing on the sofa. Keith opened his mouth in greeting but the words died on his lips. Lance was staring at Violet with a pensive look on his face and Keith thought he looked a little sad. Weird.

"Um, everything okay?" Lance's head snapped up, his expression brightening.

"Hey! Yeah, Vi just ate so she's kinda tired. I'm thinking she might fall asleep soon."

"Oh. That's good…" Keith trailed off awkwardly and sat down on the couch next to Lance.

"Actually Keith, I'm really glad to see you right now," the blue paladin said. Keith raised an eyebrow.

"What? Why?"

"Cuz I _really_ have to pee." Lance carefully shifted his burden, moving to hand her off to Keith. "Can you hold her for a minute?"

"Wait what?"

"You'll be fine! Here, just hold her like this," Lance easily passed the baby to Keith and steered the other boy's arms into position. "Now just support her head. Perfect! Thanks dude. I promise I'll be right back." Lance dashed from the room, a still stammering Keith left behind on the sofa.

"Okay, don't panic," the red paladin calmed himself. "How hard can it be to hold an eight pound alien baby for five minutes?" The alien baby gave no answer, merely staring up at him with those wide, thoughtful eyes. "You're good, right?" he asked her. Keith froze as she reached out with a tiny hand to touch his face. She was burbling conversationally at him. "Yes, good job. You found my nose." The baby laughed brightly and Keith found himself grinning at her. "Yeah, okay. You're cute."

Once she had grown bored of pinching his nose, little Violet yawned and shoved a fist into her mouth, chewing on it sleepily.

"You can go to sleep if you want to," Keith whispered, rocking her slightly like he had seen the others do. Violet gave him a drool covered smile as her eyes slipped closed. She was out like a light. As Keith stared down at the sleeping foundling, he felt a warm weight settle in his chest. It was something new and weird, but he liked it. This childcare thing really wasn't so bad.

When Lance returned a few minutes later, he paused just short of entering the room, opting to peek his head in first. There Keith remained with Violet sleeping in his arms and the red paladin was staring at her with nothing short of wonder. He was humming something and stroking her chubby cheek as he rocked her. The look on his face was so tender, almost radiant, that Lance hated to break the spell. Still, he had promised to come right back.

"Wow, you're doing great!" Lance whispered by way of announcement. Keith felt his cheeks warm at the unexpected compliment.

"Really?"

"Totally. You're a natural." Once he realized that Lance was serious, Keith couldn't keep the smile from his face. Lance quietly sat back down beside him but made no move to take the baby back. "You wanna keep holding her for a while?" Keith nodded.

"She _is_ pretty cuddly," he said softly. Lance agreed but it was Keith that he was unable to tear his gaze from. Seriously, that glowing smile was turning his insides to goo. The blue paladin slid his arm along the back of the couch behind Keith and was pleasantly surprised when Keith actually scooted closer.

"So uh…what was that song you were humming? It was pretty." Keith stiffened almost imperceptibly.

"It was nothing," he replied slowly. "Just something my mom used to sing."

"Oh!" Lance said, reddening. "Sorry." Keith raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry for what?" Lance frowned tightly and averted his eyes. Keith studied him for a moment, trying to place the other boy's discomfort, when it suddenly clicked. "Sorry that I'm an orphan," Keith stated. Lance didn't reply, and Keith paused for a long moment before shrugging. "My mom's dead. I'm not gonna randomly burst into tears if you mention it." That earned a wince from his friend.

"Still, man. That's rough."

"Lance, it's okay. Really. It was a long time ago." Keith lifted his eyes to meet Lance's. "Maybe we could just…stop talking for a while?" Lance nodded. And then Keith was smiling again. He cuddled Violet closer and, to Lance's utter shock, laid his head down to rest on his shoulder. "This is kinda nice."

When Pidge and Hunk rounded the corner an hour later, they found the red and blue paladins fast asleep on the couch, Keith cuddled into Lance's side with the other boy's arm wrapped around his shoulders. Baby Violet was passed out on Keith's chest, snuggled protectively in his arms.

The two team scientists exchanged a long look.

"Scrapbook?" Hunk questioned.

"Scrapbook," Pidge agreed.


	2. Chapter 2

"Keith?" There was a hand ruffling his hair and Keith's eyes flickered open as he recognized the voice. "I think it's time for bed," Shiro smiled. "For both of you." Keith yawned, his arms tightening gently around his napping buddy as he moved to sit up.

"What time is it?"

"Pretty late." Keith and Violet had conked out on the couch hours ago, the baby happily curling up on Keith's belly as they slept off their dinner. (Hunk, feeling proud that even alien babies and half-Galra paladins liked his cooking, had snuck an adorable photo of the two.)

"Can you hold her for a sec?" Keith asked Shiro. The black paladin tensed up as the sleeping Violet was carefully handed to him. The baby fit neatly in the crook of his arm (the non Galra one) and Shiro let out a relieved breath when she didn't wake. Keith stood up and stretched, attempting to get the cricks out of his neck and back. "Relax, Shiro," he grinned at the older man. "If I can handle baby duty, anybody can."

"I don't know about that," Shiro chuckled, still eyeing Violet warily. "You all have been doing a great job." Shiro reached out with his free hand and squeezed Keith's shoulder. "I've been really proud of you the past few days." Keith smiled and shrugged, trying not to show how pleased he really was.

"Thanks. Do you want me to take her back?"

"Hm, maybe you'd better."

"Ta-daa!" Lance cried, holding up his finished project.

"Oh…my…" Hunk all but squealed. "That is the cutest thing I have ever seen in my life."

Lance's creation, a tiny purple and white sweater, was emblazoned with a purple letter V, causing it to resemble their paladin armor in miniature. Once Violet was modeling her new outfit, Hunk snapped a least a dozen pictures and carried her into the common room for the rest of the team to admire. Pidge gawked, her glasses lifting on her forehead.

"Lance, how did you even?" The blue paladin grinned proudly.

"Real men knit, Pidge. Didn't you know that? I'm just glad it fits. Babies grow like crazy."

"That is quite adorable," Allura cooed, giving Violet a tickle that caused her to shriek with laughter. Hunk grinned and held her out to the princess.

"Do you wanna hold her?"

"Err…maybe later."

"That is pretty ridiculously cute, Lance," Keith admitted.

"Right?" Lance beamed. "Now she's official as our newest paladin." Shiro and Allura exchanged anxious looks.

"Oh Lance," Allura began gently. "You know we can't-"

"Coran, look!" Pidge interrupted, her head snapping up from her laptop. "I think I'm getting something." Coran rushed to Pidge's side as she pointed at the nearly inscrutable lines crossing her screen. "It's really faint but do you think it could be a signal?"

"Could be," Coran admitted, stroking his moustache. "It's certainly a good place to start, Number 5. I'll attune the ship's communication relay to it and we'll see if anyone's out there." There was a flurry of activity and Keith, Lance, and Hunk were left alone in the common room.

In the silence, the three of them looked at each other, Hunk cuddling Violet close to his chest.

"Do you think they're alive down there?" he asked.

"I hope so," Lance answered. "I can't imagine a whole race of people getting wiped out in one night. That'd be horrible. Violet would be the last of her species." Hunk shuddered.

"I'm gonna see if they need help with the relay," he said, passing the baby to Keith. Once they were alone, Lance nudged him.

"You're really quiet, mullet head. You okay?"

"Yeah, fine." Keith deflected, staring at Violet. She seemed to sense his disquiet and she reached a pudgy hand out to pat his cheek. Despite himself, Keith chuckled. "That's what I get for getting attached." He hadn't meant to say it out loud and kicked himself when Lance's face fell. The blue paladin scooted closer to Keith and wrapped an arm around him, pulling him and Violet close. Keith sighed and closed his eyes.

"It's nothing short of a miracle."

"You were right, Coran. They were hiding out under ground."

"It's truly remarkable, the resilience of the Araxi people."

"Pidge, thank you for your tireless efforts. We never could have located the survivors without you."

"I'm just glad Violet's getting her family back."

"And we can help the Araxi rebuild. Great work, Team!"

"So we're sending a shuttle down to pick up Violet…I mean _Laika's_ parents. They'll be up in a couple of hours."

"That's great," Keith said. "But then where are they taking her? The planet's trashed."

"Apparently the Araxi had prepared for this to a point. They couldn't save everybody but they do have everything they need to start rebuilding."

"Did we find out where her parents have been all this time?" Keith asked, unable to keep the heat out of his voice. "Why they left her to die?"

" _Keith,_ " Shiro replied sternly. "Laika was visiting her grandparents when the storm hit and they were killed before they could get her to shelter. She's lucky to be alive." When a chastened Keith didn't reply, Shiro reached over and rubbed the back of his head soothingly. "Buddy, I'm sorry. I know it's gonna be hard but this is the best ending we could have hoped for. She gets to go back to her family." Keith could only nod.

Poor Hunk was completely choked up as he said goodbye. When baby Laika reached out a tiny hand to touch his cheek, the big guy lost it. Shiro wrapped a comforting arm around Hunk as he stepped back and Pidge patted the older boy's arm, all the while swiping at her own eyes.

One by one, each of the paladins and the Alteans said goodbye and wished the family the best, until finally only Keith and Lance were left. Keith stepped forward first.

"We will never forget what you've done for us, and our daughter," Laika's mother promised. "Thank you, Paladin." Keith nodded but kept his eyes on the baby.

"Bye Vi…Laika," he said huskily. Keith brushed the top of her head with his fingertips. Laika cooed at him and grabbed one of his fingers, eliciting a chuckle from the red paladin. "That's some grip, kiddo. You're a lot stronger than you look." He swallowed the lump forming in his throat. "You take care of yourself, okay?"

Keith stepped aside for Lance and kept walking, ignoring the concerned stares of his teammates. Hunk moved to follow but was stopped by Shiro's hand on his shoulder.

"Let's give him some space for now," Shiro said.

Keith stalked towards the training deck, eyes burning, and mentally cursed the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps behind him.

"Hey Keith! Wait up!"

"Not now, Lance." Lance jogged up beside him and touched his elbow.

"Slow down, will ya? I just want to talk." Keith jerked his arm away.

"What's there to talk about, Lance? It's over! She's gone."

"So what are you just gonna duke it out with the training bot until you're too tired to think?" Keith gritted his teeth, snarling,

"What's it to you?"

"I'm worried about you, _pendejo!_ " Lance exclaimed, throwing up his arms in frustration. "You're hurt and you're just gonna bury it?"

"Don't tell me how I feel!" Keith spat, jabbing Lance in the chest with a finger. "You don't know anything about me."

"I would if you'd tell me!" Lance shot back. Keith flushed and turned away, knuckles whitening as he clenched his fists at his sides. There was a long, tense pause.

"Why do you care so much?" Keith asked him. Lance opened his mouth to reply and closed it, taking a moment to think about the answer.

"Well, we're a team…but I wanna think we're friends too." Keith sighed and turned back to face him.

"We _are_ friends, Lance. I'm sorry. This is just…new for me." Lance pondered that and then smiled thoughtfully.

"You know, it's a good look for you." Keith frowned in confusion.

"What is?"

"The mushy, paternal look. The one you'd always get whenever you held Laika." Keith's gaze sharpened. "No, I mean it!" Lance's smile was fond. "I think you'd make a really great dad someday." Keith's eyes widened in surprise, but when he realized that Lance was serious, his lips quirked into a sad smile.

"We did make a pretty good team, didn't we?"

"Heck yeah, we did. Best babysitters ever!" Keith's smile faltered and Lance put a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on, man. Talk to me." The dam burst.

"I'm so stupid!" Keith snapped. "I always knew it had to be temporary. We're in the middle of a war!" Lance nodded. "And I know we didn't have her for very long and that she's back with her family and I should be happy but still…a part of me thought… _hoped_." Keith's indigo eyes welled and he swiped angrily at them. Lance squeezed the other boy's shoulder, heavy-hearted.

"Keith, it's okay. I'm gonna miss her too. And so are Hunk, Pidge, and everybody."

"I know," Keith said raggedly, his shoulders slumping as the anger drained.

"And Laika's parents said we could come visit her anytime."

"Yeah," he was sniffling now. Lance's face fell.

"But it still sucks, huh?" Keith nodded. The tears were escaping now, and Lance pulled him into a tight hug. Keith clung to him, his arms wrapping tightly around his torso and his face disappearing into Lance's chest. Lance could feel the front of his t-shirt getting damp as the thin body trembled against him.

"Who knows?" Lance said. "Maybe when this is all over and we're heroes or whatever. Maybe," he took a breath. "Maybe one day we can adopt a kid. One of our own." Keith stilled in his arms and Lance worried that he'd gone too far. "I mean," he continued quickly. "Like you said, we do make a good team."

"Lance," Keith pulled back to look him in the eyes, his voice little more than a breath. Lance swallowed. It was time to go all in.

"Keith…I would seriously do anything to see you smile like that again."

Something flickered in Keith's eyes, like a spark. Without thinking, he grabbed the front of the taller boy's jacket and pulled him in, pressing his lips against Lance's. The blue paladin's heart skipped.

Okay. This was happening. Lance responded immediately, bringing his hands up to cup Keith's face, his fingers tangling in the sides of that dumb mullet. Keith had balled his hands in the lapels of Lance's jacket and was kissing him with the same fervor he applied to his flying, fast and hot.

For Lance, time slowed down, giving him the opportunity to record every detail in his mind's eye. He memorized the feel of Keith's soft dark hair between his fingers, the shape of the red paladin's slim, athletic body pressed against his own, the rhythm of their two heartbeats hammering as one. This moment represented something new and special for both of them, and Lance wanted to savor it.

Breathlessly, they ended the kiss, keeping their foreheads pressed together for a long moment before either of them spoke.

"It's okay if you don't mean it," Keith said finally, still holding onto Lance's jacket. "I mean, we've got a long way to go before any of us can think about the future."

"True," Lance agreed. "We still have Galra butts to kick. But I did mean what I said." He hugged Keith a little tighter, letting the shorter boy tuck his head under his chin. "For now, let's let the future worry about itself. We've got time."


End file.
